Former Vikings Quarterback Culpepper Calls It A Career

Oakland, CA (AHN) - Quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who once threw for 4,717 yards and 39 touchdowns as part of a stellar career with Minnesota, retired from the NFL in a released statement Thursday.

The 31-year-old signal caller, besieged by knee injuries that slowed down his rise to the sport's highest ranks, is closing the door on his pro football career after failing to come to terms with any team in the off-season.

Culpepper is known for his heydays with wide receiver Randy Moss in Minnesota. The two were one of the most fearsome tandems in offense before Culpepper tore three ligaments in his knee in 2005.

He never recovered from the injury and his plays have been limited since leaving the Vikings in a trade with Miami in 2006. He played just four games with the Dolphins after getting sacked 21 times.

Oakland took a flyer on him last season and he suited up for seven games, throwing 1,331 yards with five scores and five interceptions. He was shut down for the rest of the season with a quadriceps injury.

During the summer, the former first-round pick of the 1999 draft received feelers from Green Bay and Pittsburgh, and chose not sign either offers. He said he's decided to call it a career rather than wait for one quarterback to be injured.

"I have been strongly encouraged from family, friends and league personnel to continue to be patient and wait for an inevitable injury to one of the starting quarterbacks in the league. I would rather shut the door to such 'opportunity' than continue to wait for one of my fellow quarterbacks to suffer a serious injury. Since I was not given a fair chance to come in and compete for a job, I would rather move on and win in other arenas of life," Culpepper said in the e-mail.

The Central Florida standout spent nine years in the NFL, the first seven of which were with the Vikings. In 2004, he tossed 4,717 yards with 39 scores for a quarterback rating of 110.9.

Overall, Culpepper has thrown 22,422 yards with 142 touchdowns and a rating of 89.9 in 92 games.